Coffee
by nothingwithorange
Summary: 'Just as she was about to give up hope she had a brainwave. She closed the CCTV image down with a last regretful look and began to scan through the archives.' Jess needs to kick-start her belief in what she is doing. Two-shot. Spoilers for 4x04 and 4x06
1. Chapter 1

**So, I was rewatching 4x04 again this afternoon, and once I had gotten over shirtless Becker (squee!), I realised that Jess' storyline of witnessing Beth's death wasn't really touched upon after Jess refused to help Abby. I'm not quite sure where this idea came from exactly, I just wanted to try something different to Jesker (gasp!) and maybe I'm just foreshadowing Jenny's return? I don't know, but I could always see Jess and Jenny being friends, so somehow this story was born. It's a two-shot, and will be updated probably over the weekend so: Enjoy and tell me what you think :)**

She couldn't talk to Abby about it. She didn't really want to say anything to Connor. And she definitely did not want to bother Becker, who was probably halfway home for some well-deserved medical leave. Matt was nowhere to be found and she had a feeling Lester wouldn't really be interested.

Jessica stared at one of the computer monitors, which held the flickering image of the school gym where, only hours before, a girl, only a few years younger than herself, had been killed. The thought made something in Jess' gut twist and her hand flew up to her mouth as the memory replayed itself in her mind.

She couldn't ring her mother, or her father. She needed physical support and they were over in Ireland… Besides, how could she explain it to them? They knew she worked for the government, but that was all, and she had no intention of telling them the details of her job. She had to talk, and it had to be to someone who would _understand._

Just as she was about to give up hope, making plans to go curl up in bed with the largest mug of tea she could find, she had a brainwave. She closed the CCTV image down with a last, regretful look and began to scan through the archives.

* * *

The building was tall and imposing, huge glass windows glinting at her in the weak sunlight. Jess noticed her reflection in the door as she pushed it open – she looked decent, but not as neat and bubbly as usual; to be fair this was mostly due to the fact she'd spent most of the night awake, half excited for this meeting but half scared of the nightmares she was bound to have after what she had witnessed earlier in the day. She took a deep breath, straightening her red cardigan as she stepped into the building.

Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she made her way over to the main desk. A young man, probably in his thirties or so, looked up at her from behind it. His was slicked back smoothly, his suit impeccable. If he hadn't smiled at her, she could've seen him as a younger Lester.

"How can I help?" He asked, his fingers already straying to the keyboard of the computer in front of him.

Jess put on her best 'serious business' face. "Hello. I'm here to see Jenny Lewis."

* * *

Jenny laughed politely as her the businessman on the other side of the phone conversation cracked a joke that secured any attempts he made into a career of comedy would fail. He chortled heartily in her ear, as she tried to get him back on topic; eventually she made an excuse, promising him she would call back as soon as possible and promptly sighed in relief as she hung up. She slumped back into her chair with little grace, running a hand down her face before using it to push her fringe out of her eyes.

She pulled her diary across the desk towards her, flipping through to find today's schedule. To her delight, Jenny found that she had the next hour and a half clear of any work. Smiling genuinely at the thought of freedom from her tedious office, she gathered her things into her bag, shrugging her coat on as she gazed out of the window. As always, her gaze was drawn across the city, to where she knew the ARC was lurking secretively, almost like it was waiting for her to return. She pulled herself away from the window sharply, fastening the last button on her coat as she reminded herself that that part of her life was over and she should be glad. She'd had enough heartbreak from that place to last a lifetime.

Jenny shook her head to clear it, hooking her bag in the crook of her arm as walked towards the door. She opened it to see a young girl stood behind it, her fist raised as though she was about to knock. Both jumped at the unexpected sight of each other, but as Jenny relaxed she couldn't help but notice the way the tension never left the girl as she slowly lowered her hand.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" The girl gasped. "I can come back another time, if you want, it's just…"

Jenny's slightly stunned emotions must have shown on her face, as the girl trailed off awkwardly, her hand moving to twist her watched round her wrist.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" She asked, watching the nervous expressions the girl was making.

"Oh, sorry," the girl shook her head, brown curls slipping over her shoulder. "I'm all over the place today, I'm not normally like this, sorry… uh, sorry…"

Jenny felt a wave of motherly compassion wash over her and wondered where the hell it came from. "Just your name, please?" She smiled to take the edge off her words.

"Oh, right, sorry," The girl rubbed her hands over her face, before sighing, and holding one out for Jenny to shake. "Jessica Parker." She introduced herself.

Jenny took the Jess' hand, shaking it politely. "Hello, Jessica. What can I do for you?"

Jess' glanced around her, at the dull office behind Jenny's door, the boring corridor of a regular, everyday job. She dropped her hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here, I shouldn't bother you like this..."

There was something in the younger girl's expression that made Jenny want to reach out and hug her protectively, hide her away from all the nasty things in the world – and trust her, she knew of plenty. "Jessica, please. I'm happy to help."

Jess bit her lip, trying to decide whether or not this was the best thing to do. "Okay… but please tell me to shut up or leave anytime you want." Jenny raised an eyebrow, so she continued. "Like I said, I'm Jessica Parker and… and I'm the field coordinator for the ARC." She looked up with an almost sheepish expression.

Jenny froze completely; her head was yelling at her to ask the girl to leave, to turn away, to do anything to get the ARC out of her life. But her heart disagreed. Her heart noticed the broken look that was dancing in the young girl's big blue eyes. It saw the timid fears shying away from the organized upfront. It saw the scared, nineteen year old who just wanted a bit of comfort from someone who understood. She smiled.

"Would you like to go get some coffee?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all your lovely reviews :) Part two is here! Obviously, this story is now AU as of 4x06. I'm probably going to fangirl over the episode at the bottom. Also, there is a teeny, tiny Jesker hint in this. Because, honestly, I can't help myself. Damn their cute. It's too cute.**

There was something familiar about Jenny Lewis, Jess decided as she watched her balance the tray holding their coffees in one hand while grabbing milk and sugar with the other. Jess helpfully scooped the tray before it overbalanced, returning Jenny's grateful smile as they wandered to a free table. Once the milk had been poured and the sugar stirred, Jenny turned to the field coordinator (she briefly wondered who had decided to bring in a field coordinator, but dismissed the thought as unimportant for the time being) with an open face.

"Why did you come find me, Jessica?"

Jess played with her stirrer for a moment, wiping it on the rim of her cup to get all the froth from her drink off it. "I just… I needed someone to talk to, y'know? Abby's had a pretty hectic day, I didn't want to bother her and Connor, while he's great with computers and everything, he's not so snappy with girls and girls' feelings and…" She trailed off, dunking the white plastic stirrer into her coffee.

"So, Abby and Connor are still there?" The question slipped out before Jenny could even attempt to stop it.

"Yeah…" Jess looked surprised before she realised that Jenny obviously wouldn't have any knowledge of the ARC and it's staff since she left it. "Well, they disappeared for a while – literally – but they're back now. They're safe."

Jenny took all this in, but now she'd had a taste, she wanted more. "And Becker? Sarah? Danny?"

"Danny is… Danny's missing," Jess stared determinedly at her mug, watching the liquid swirl as she disturbed the surface with her stirrer. "He went through an anomaly to stop Helen Cutter about a year ago; he's not come back yet, but we're pretty sure he was successful." When Jenny didn't react, Jess continued. "Sarah died. It was before I joined, way before. She was helping on a rescue mission and… Yeah. It's so horrible; she sounded so lovely. I wish I could've met her." She glanced up at Jenny to check she wasn't going to personal; the ex-PR was cupping her coffee tightly in both hands, her face deep in thought as she stared at its contents. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"And Becker?" Jenny repeated, although she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

"Oh. Becker." It was impossible to miss the way Jess' sweet blue eyes lit up or the way her face brightened, despite the fact she remained in exactly the same position as before. "He's fine… Well, he blames himself all the time and he likes to argue with the new leader a lot, but he's fine, generally, and if not, I can always find something to make him smile, he's just really nice. And he's fine. Totally fine." She looked up again to see Jenny quirking an eyebrow over her coffee and flushed pink. Jenny just smiled knowingly, taking a sip of her drink, a gesture Jess quickly mirrored to try hide her growing blush.

Once she was sure Jess had gotten over her moment of embarrassment, Jenny started the conversation up again. "I'm guessing, if Danny's… gone, you've got a new leader?"

"Yeah," Jess leaned back into her seat, crossing her legs and cradling her coffee. "Matt. He's a nice guy, but, to be honest, we don't really know him that well. I mean, I see more of Lester than I do of him-"

"Lester's still there?" Jenny interrupted before she could stop herself.

Jess smiled, her face relaxing properly for the first time since Jenny had met her. "Yeah, he's the one that got ARC up and running after Danny disappeared."

"Hmm, I'm surprised," Jenny commented, trying not to smirk. "I would've thought he'd be a minister, or something, by now…" She smiled to show she was kidding, and Jess giggled.

"I don't think he could leave if he tried," She admitted and Jenny nodded in agreement. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, sipping their drinks while sharing secretive little smiles as though they'd known each other their whole lives. Jenny drained her coffee, setting her mug down gently on the table.

"So, Jessica," She leaned forward. "Why _did_ you come find me?"

Jess sighed, swirling the dregs of her coffee around the bottom of her cup. "I saw someone die yesterday," she bit her lip as flashes appeared in her mind; the creature stalking up to the girl, the scream of agony, the way her heart seemed to drop into her stomach as Becker confirmed her worst fears.

"Oh," Jenny reached across, gently placing a hand on top of the one Jess had resting on the table. "I'm sorry; was it… was it your first one?"

Jess nodded, her hand shaking slightly underneath Jenny's. "She was only about fifteen…"

"A child?" Jenny looked shocked; she'd witnessed pain and death on a daily basis when working at the ARC – her co-workers', her clients, even her own – but she'd never known a child to die on the ARC's watch. Her heart completely went out to Jess in that moment: to watch a whole life being snatched away while you remain helpless was an awful experience; for it to be the life of a child, one who couldn't possibly be that much younger than Jess herself, must've been terrible. Especially for the first death. The first was always the hardest.

Jess had one hand clutching Jenny's and the other pressed to her mouth in an attempt not to cry. She simply nodded rather than risk talking and Jenny squeezed her hand, suddenly feeling the protective motherly feeling from before sweep over her again.

"I know, trust me, I _know_, how horrible it is," Jenny told her quietly, her voice soothing and warm. "To see that… it's something I'm afraid you'll never forget,"

Jess' eyes widened, the tears threatening to spill over as she gazed desperately at Jenny. "Does it get easier?" She whispered.

"No," Jenny admitted, truthfully, watching Jess' face crumple a little. "But if it got easier, it would only mean you were becoming heartless, wouldn't it?" Jess tilted her head to show she understood. "It's part of the job. Sometimes, it's harder…"

Jess made a choking noise and a couple of tears slipped down her cheeks. "How is that possible?"

Jenny rubbed her thumb comfortingly over the back of Jess' hand. "If it's someone you know… You care about…" She sighed as unpleasant memories she had desperately tried to forget reared their ugly heads. "Listen, Jessica, I know what you're going through. It's hard and it's painful and sometimes you're sick of putting on that stupid brave face every morning and you just want to throw something at a wall and smash your computer or something; everyday can either be amazing or a nightmare and you don't really have a say in how it goes. It's the most heartbreaking, annoying, goddamn stupid thing in the whole world; But it's your job." She caught Jess' watery gaze. "And at the end of the day, the people you save, the creatures you see… The death isn't worth it, but doesn't it offer a tiny bit of compensation? To think that, even though one person died, the rest of the planet live? After all… you can't save everyone."

Jess stared at her, awe and surprise gracing her features, making her look younger than ever. "Th-thank you."

Jenny smiled. "Well, I'd better get back to work. If you ever need me, you know where to find me, okay?" She gave Jess' hand a final squeeze. "Maybe we can go shopping one afternoon? My wedding is coming up and my fiancé probably won't give me an honest opinion after he's seen me try on fifty different dresses…"

Jess tear streaked face broke out into a full-on smile. "That'd be nice, Jenny. I'd like that."

"Me too," Jenny pulled her coat on, swinging her bag gracefully onto her shoulder. "Oh, and just a word of advice about" – she lowered her voice conspiratorially – "Becker… Tell him how you feel before it's too la- well, as soon as possible. You don't want to lose him. Trust me, I know."

With a final, friendly smile, Jenny left Jess gaping after her retreating figure. She wished she'd had someone to talk her through it when she first got involved with the ARC and the anomalies and the _feelings_ that still haunted her. Maybe if such a person had existed, the body count would not be so high and not as many tears would've been shed. Jenny hitched her bag up higher with a sigh. She couldn't change the past; but maybe she could give the future a helping hand.

**So, hope you all enjoyed this part as much as the first. I'm weirdly proud of this fic... Maybe because it's the first non-romantic thing I've managed? Haha! **

**So 4x06? JENNY! She was amazing! Her facial expressions are so hilarious, oh the poor thing. And her husband was lovely, accepting everything, even though he wasn't Rupert Young like I hoped he would be. Also, how much champagne did they all drink? My God, they had loads! And bless Connor 'We should get married here' Temple. That's like the second reference to Abby and Connor getting married this series, after the whole Abby Temple thing... Hmmm... ;D Lester at the end was brilliant. I love him so much. I wish he was my uncle, or something. Him and Jess play off each other brilliantly. I secretly wish Jess was his niece or something. Such a BAMF of a family. Anyways.**

**Oh, and Becker and Jess were cute too, I guess. What I mean to say is OINERVUIBE YUBF HNJFNSODFJVMIKE the Chinese and the sleeping on his shoulder (SHE WAS HOLDING ONTO HIS ARM AS SHE SLEPT!) and the defusing the bomb (when she asked him what to do it was night and when he told her, it was morning... they totally spent the whole night arguing, him wanting her to get out and her refusing to leave XD) and the hug! THE HUG, YOU GUYS, THE HUG! And then they hugged again! And he called her brilliant! Again! I was literally bouncing up and down as I watched :')**

**Okay, flailing over.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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